Lucky
by Always a Bookworm
Summary: A collection of moments in the relationship between Ryou and Malik. Angstshipping, series of oneshots. 5. "Bad day?" Malik asked, grinning. "How did you guess?" Ryou grumbled back. Exam time is always stressful, but at least someone's coping with it well.
1. Being Fine

**Hey, guys! Basically, I was sitting at the computer today, and it suddenly occured to me that my fanfiction 'birthday' happens sometime around now, so I checked and sure enough- I've officially spent two years on fanfiction as a registered author! Yay, I'm a true fanatic! XD! **

**So I decided to post something as a little present to myself on that count. It's been a pretty amazing two years! *hugs everyone* :D**

**This is a very short angsty piece, but I really want to turn it into a collection of angstshipping oneshots (that will be unrelated to each other). So do tell me if I should continue it, because if there's no interest then I obviously won't!**

**Hope you enjoy the angsty weirdness! Written in about two hours, as a result of late nights, insomnia and the need for fanfiction related stress relief. And because I haven't written Ryou-angst in what feels like ages (probably about a month actually!) so I thought I should appease the angst plot bunnies that have invaded my room.**

* * *

"Hey, Ryou, you okay?" Yuugi asks, smiling as he shifts his schoolbag slightly, while the pair walk through the school gates.

The sun is shining, the birds are singing.

The shadows are lingering. (But only Ryou can see that.)

He smiles back, softly. "Yes, thank you, Yuugi. I'm fine."

Yuugi grins and runs ahead to catch up with a waving Jou, who, judging by his excited gestures, has just bought a new Duel Monsters card.

Ryou's smile falters and dies.

He feels the Ring digging into his chest and hears the spirit's laughter ring in his ears.

He's not fine. He's not fine at all.

* * *

"Hey, Ryou, you okay?" Yuugi says with a tired smile as they settle into the plane that is carrying them home from Pegasus' island.

The sun bleeds across the evening sky to form beautiful streaks of sunset that are mirrored into the sea. They are flying above the clouds, above everything. It feels like they are free.

(Ryou's not, of course. The shadows are still there.)

Ryou's smile slides onto his face from force of habit. "Yes, thank you, Yuugi. I'm fine."

He tries to ignore the slightly wary looks he is getting from the others.

"Hey, Ryou, you okay?" Yuugi smiles, worriedly, as Ryou prepares to leave for his empty home when they get off the boat after Battle City.

It is sunset again, just like the last time. For some reason Ryou thinks that is important.

Ryou can see the smaller boy's eyes flicker towards his bag where he's keeping the Ring (Ryou can't see the point, it'll just find its way back to him in the end anyway) and he wants to cry.

"Yes, thank you, Yuugi. I'm fine," he intones, dutifully, finding some pleasure in the hopeful smile that flashes across Yuugi's face. He still believes him.

_Of course he does,_ the Voice mocks, in an almost sympathetic tone. _He always will. Stupid trusting fool._

There's nothing wrong with being trusting, Ryou argues, wearily.

The Voice doesn't reply. Ryou hopes it's because the Voice knows he's right, but that might be too much to ask.

Malik shoots Ryou a brief smile over Yuugi's shoulder as he leaves. Ryou's heart twists and breaks.

(The Voice laughs- whether mockingly or bitterly, Ryou doesn't know.)

* * *

"Hey, Ryou, you okay?" Yuugi whispers, as he sits tentatively on Ryou's bedside. Ryou can tell from the gentle rocking that they're on a boat- and then he remembers why. The final resting place. The Pharaoh (and the Thief) was gone.

The afternoon sunlight filters in through the thin curtain, and makes everything seem brighter. (But what is the point, when the shadows are still there?)

He must have fallen asleep. They must have put him to bed.

But it wasn't falling asleep, it was fainting at the sudden overwhelming pain of having the other half of his mind ripped out and the dark, dark space that he had left…

Ryou gazes sadly at Yuugi, and knows that he understands.

"Yes, thank you, Yuugi. I'm fine," he bows his head and murmurs the answer, staring at his hands twisting together in his lap.

Ryou doesn't even believe himself anymore.

* * *

"Hey, Ryou, you okay?" Yuugi bounds up behind him joyfully as they walk down the street, chattering on about 'had he heard?' and how 'wonderful' it was that they had all returned, and how 'everything was going to be great' from now on.

The autumn winds scatter leaves at their feet, a myriad of reds and yellows, the watery sunshine beaming across the town. The shadows seem weaker today, somehow.

Ryou breathes deeply as they turn down his street, and he sees the lone, brooding figure lean against his gate.

Fear, anticipation and something he doesn't understand flood him.

He's so confused.

"Yes, thank you, Yuugi. I'm fine," he manages to choke out, uncertainly. Yuugi watches the white-haired figure too, fear flickering across his face for a split second.

It reassures Ryou that Yuugi is confused too.

* * *

"Hey, Ryou, you okay?" Yuugi grins, with a slight blush, as he tries to ignore the fact that he has just walked in on his friend kissing another boy.

Malik smirks and gets up from his position wound around Ryou to grab Yuugi a drink from Ryou's kitchen, which he has pretty much taken complete control of by now.

Ryou smiles faintly. "Yes, thank you, Yuugi. I'm fine."

(And seriously overwhelmed by all of these… feelings that he doesn't understand, but Yuugi doesn't need to know that anyway.)

The other white haired boy (he used to call him the Voice, but that doesn't seem appropriate anymore) wanders into the room, and merely grunts to acknowledge their presence, before grabbing a book off the shelf and settling into a chair. Yuugi grins slowly at this.

Rain starts to patter against the pavement outside, and Ryou can't help but feel like the shadows are vanishing.

* * *

"Hey, Ryou, you okay?" Yuugi laughs as the pair dash into the school, soaking wet from the rain that pours down, while thunder clashes and lightning splits the black sky in two.

(Isn't it ironic that the shadows should be gone when the weather is like this, but not all those times the sun shone so beautifully? Ryou finds that slightly amusing.)

Ryou nods, and grins at the sandy-haired teenager that has followed him in, the one that can stop Ryou's heart with his smile and is shaking his head ruefully to get rid of the rain and muttering something about 'wouldn't happen in Egypt.' Then Ryou turns to watch the other white haired boy (maybe 'Bakura' would fit best?) stand in the rain watching the sky with a sort of childish curiosity, as if a thunderstorm is a totally novel experience for him- which it sort of is.

"Yes, thank you, Yuugi. I'm fine," Ryou smiles back.

And he means it.

* * *

**So should I continue? I love angstshipping to bits so the likelihood is that I will, but I'm always happy to hear your opinions! :D**

**Thanks very much for reading!**

**Bookworm**


	2. Soul Room Conversations

**Hey there everyone! Here's the second chapter to 'Lucky', and (surprisingly) it's another quite angsty chapter. Totally weird for me; as most of you know, I tend to write a lot of fluff, but I promise I'll have a nice romantic one up soon. For some reason I'm in an angsty writing mood, and I really don't know why! **

**Disclaimer: (Because I forgot to do it last time! *guilty grin*) I don't own Yugioh, and I'm just playing around with the characters for a while. I'll return them... eventually...**

**Note: Set during Battle City, after Marik has taken over Malik's body but before Bakura was sent to the Shadow Realm. I've always wanted to try writing something set in Ryou's soul room, and this just came out- not quite how I imagined it, but there we go!**

* * *

Malik didn't knock.

That was the first thing Ryou noticed, as the other boy pushed the door to his soul room open and walked in as if he owned the place.

Although, Ryou thought bitterly, he had more control of it than Ryou himself did. Which would seem unfair to most people, but Ryou had gotten used to it.

Ryou watched him, silently, from his position hunched up against the wall on the corner of the bed. Malik didn't do anything at first, just ran his eyes over the room, taking in what was supposed to represent his soul, with a slightly derisive look on his face.

It wasn't _too _bad, Ryou thought defensively. It was neat, and in fact looked really quite similar to his real bedroom. The bed was neatly made and covered with a blue blanket that matched the blue carpet on the floor. The light was dim and gave the appearance that shadows crept at the edge of the room, waiting for their chance to destroy the light. Admittedly it was a little too dark for Ryou's liking, and it was extremely dusty (which was strange as he was usually such a stickler for cleanliness) but he supposed it was bearable. But the walls… the walls were something that Ryou hated.

They were covered with photographs, many in cracked, dusty frames, of people Ryou had known. There were plenty of faded images of smiling boys and girls, always with Ryou gazing out of the picture mournfully, as if knew these friendships wouldn't last.

Some of the newer pictures were larger than the others. They contained Yuugi, Anzu, Jou and all the rest of them. Even Pegasus featured in the myriad of faces covering the walls.

But the largest ones, the pictures that seemed to glow, the faces that were so _real_ they nearly jumped out of the frame, were the ones of his family. The little girl that laughed and hung onto Ryou so tightly, the mother with the twinkle in her eye, the father with that proud smile as he eyed his perfect (because they were, weren't they?) family.

And the picture above Ryou's bed that made Malik draw in his breath sharply. The one with two white haired boys who could be twins, where one smiled sadly with mournful brown eyes, as the other placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled wickedly, showing pointed teeth and blood red eyes.

It was the largest picture in the room.

(It was the only one with the spirit in.)

"Nice place," Malik remarked eventually, in such a casual way that Ryou snorted with laughter.

"Thanks," he replied, softly, not moving from the bed; in fact, when Malik took another step into the room he shrank back, involuntarily, and continued to watch with dark, wary eyes.

Malik stopped abruptly when he saw this, before shrugging and slumping down on the rug. "You don't trust me," he said. It wasn't a question, it was just a fact.

Ryou tilted his head. "I don't know," he said, honestly. "I don't know you, that's all."

Malik gestured to the small photo that was propped up against Ryou's bedside. "Well, there's a photo of me there," he grinned, impishly, as Ryou blushed slightly.

"I don't choose the pictures," he said, sounding rather flustered. "They just… come. I don't even like them."

Malik shot Ryou a look, and Ryou hugged his knees tighter to his chest. "They make me sad," Ryou admitted quietly, defensively.

Malik nodded. There was a short, awkward silence.

"So this is your sister?" Malik asked, eventually, in a mildly curious tone as he stared at the picture of Amane laughing and hugging Ryou. "Bakura said she was dead."

Ryou eyed him, slightly alarmed by his abrupt rudeness. But then again, he reminded himself, Malik was the sort of person that wouldn't even knock before entering someone's innermost soul- he highly doubted Malik would be bothered by hurting Ryou's feelings.

"Yeah," he said, slowly. "She died a long time ago."

Malik nodded. "She looks just like you," he remarked, conversationally. From the flippant tone he used, they could have been talking about the weather.

Ryou didn't reply, and twisted the sheets together. Malik glanced over, saw his upset expression, and frowned guiltily.

"Sorry," he muttered, stuffing his hands in his pocket. "I'm not very good in situations like this."

Ryou chuckled, and wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand (he'd run out of tears a long time ago, but it was force of habit). "You mean situations that involve talking to another human being?"

Malik grinned. "Something like that. My only human contact for years was my family, and then I spent my time with a large bunch of brainwashed criminals- who weren't exactly scintillating conversation, by the way- and now I'm sharing a body with a psycho tomb robber and you. You're the most normal out of all of them."

Ryou smiled and a spark jumped in his eyes. "If you're describing me as normal then the rest of them must have been pretty messed up."

Malik snorted, and strectched out on the rug. "Tell me about it. I mean, my brother and sister aren't too bad, but my dad was a real nutcase…" his voice faded off, and something flashed across his face.

Ryou, more skilled in the art of subtlety than Malik, didn't ask. (He knew that some memories were best left alone.)

"Malik. I have a feeling you'll want to see the next duel," a sudden quiet sneer came from the doorway, and Malik turned his head to see the spirit leaning against the door frame. The red eyes flashed, and he continued, "Unless your time is better spent chatting with my hikari than helping me plan the demise of your other half."

Malik glared at him, but stood up all the same, shooting Ryou a quick smile. "Bye. It was nice talking to you."

Ryou nodded, and lowered his eyes to his lap, so as to avoid the spirit's piercing gaze.

As the spirit walked out with Malik in tow, grumbling something about how rude it was to interrupt, Ryou smiled at his retreating back.

"It was nice talking to you too," he whispered, as the door closed, leaving him in the semi-darkness on his own.

He lay back on the bed, and smiled slightly as he glanced at the cluster of photos on his bedside table.

He could swear that Malik's picture had grown, and if he wasn't very much mistaken, the room had become just a little bit brighter.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! :D**

**Bookworm**


	3. Freedom and Forever

**Well, I promised you fluff, and here it is! Three pages of fluff-filled cuteness for our favourite duo! XD! (I'm such a sucker for this style of writing!) I had another chapter planned, but it wasn't working out at all: I finished it, then decided to scrap it, and because I wanted to update tonight (because I'm weird like that!), I came up with this random idea, and it just worked. It was literally written in about one hour, so I hope it's alright! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these gorgeous pretty boys, or the manga that they first appeared in. *cries* It's so sad, isn't it?**

**Pairing: Angstshipping, and a pinch of darkshipping, just for fun! ;D**

* * *

"Do you believe in 'forever'?" Ryou asked, suddenly.

Malik looked at him in surprise. "What?"

"I mean, do you think love, or friendship, or any kind of emotion- even hatred- can last forever?"

Malik shook his head, and stared up at the night sky.

The two boys were lying on the roof of Ryou's house, staring up at the clear sky; the crescent moon shining softly among the stars that sparkled in swirls and cascades in the inky blackness. The city was falling asleep, and only the distant rumble of the traffic and the faint lullaby of people going about their evening work could be heard. The whole world seemed to have slowed down, seemed to be taking a breath, seemed to be resting. The closed curtains of homes along the streets, the winking of the streetlights, the night call of the owl- it was all so peaceful.

Malik loved nights like this, nights where it was just them and the whole world stretched out in front of them. Or, like tonight, the whole of space. It was easy to forget his years locked away underground when he was staring up into the never-ending sea of stars, planets and other galaxies.

He guessed that this must be what freedom felt like.

"I don't think so. Things change, people change. And forever's a terribly long time, Ryou," he answered, finally.

Ryou laughed softly, moving even closer into Malik's side. "Not even hatred?"

Malik grinned. "I'd say your yami was a prime example, wouldn't you? He hates Atemu for three thousand years, tries to kill him, forgives him, decides that actually he's pretty cute, goes on a date with him, and here we are- four years down the line- and they're so sickeningly in love that you never see one without the other. Even though Bakura still denies the whole 'love' part. No, hatred isn't strong enough to last forever."

He paused, the memory of the hate that had consumed _him_ flashing across his mind. Ryou squeezed his hand comfortingly, knowing without even looking at him what Malik was thinking of.

"I mean, come on!" Malik continued, forcing a laugh. "Hate's a pretty exhausting emotion, and all humans are naturally lazy."

Ryou grinned and elbowed him gently- although considering that they were both wearing about seven layers of clothing because of the cold, this didn't have much of an effect. Malik grinned, and leaned over so he could kiss Ryou briefly on the lips, before pulling him into the crook of his arm.

They were silent for a few minutes, gripping each other's hands tightly through their thick gloves.

"Anzu made these for us, didn't she?" Ryou said, reflectively, and Malik glanced at him to see that the other boy had pulled one hand out of his glove, and was running his fingers over the rough stitching in a thoughtful manner. "When she went through that phase of wanting to be really feminine because her Grandma was in town, and she wanted to impress her, so she took up knitting for a couple of weeks. It was kind of her to do that- I know she hated it secretly. She told me she knew we'd want gloves because we spent so much time outside."

Ryou grinned up at Malik, cheeks pink with cold. "Guess she knows about our 'secret' night time talks on the roof!"

"Ryou, I think everyone knows about the roof- and believe me, some of our friends think we do a lot more than just talk up here."

Ryou crinkled up his nose in distaste. "It's far too cold for that, Malik. Take your mind out of the gutter!"

Malik gasped in mock-anger. "It was Jou that mentioned it! Not me!"

"Yeah, but you just laughed when he brought it up. I know, I heard you two talking about it."

Malik didn't reply, just smirked suggestively.

"I was just thinking that she did something so generous for us- something that she really hated doing- just because she's our friend. You really don't think friendship lasts forever?" Ryou said, returning to stroking the mittens.

Malik hesitated. If Ryou had brought this up again it was clearly important to him, and Malik wanted to give him a proper answer.

"I don't know," he answered, slowly. "I suppose it all depends on what happens in the afterlife, really. What you believe about that kind of influences your decision. But I know that I wouldn't want to go to an afterlife with none of the people I care about. That would be too lonely. So I hope so," he finished, wondering if this would be enough.

"Yeah… I guess you're right," Ryou replied after a slight pause. Malik was slightly worried about him by now- he clearly had something on his mind, and for whatever reason he hadn't brought it up yet.

There was another long silence, and Malik was just beginning to wonder if maybe he'd been wrong, and that everything was okay, when:

"So what about love?"

Ryou shifted onto his shoulder so that he was now gazing intently into Malik's face, as if the answer to this question was the most important piece of information he was ever going to hear. Malik had no idea what to say: should he make something up, should he laugh it off, should he tell the truth…?

So turned to face Ryou, and, looking into the eyes of his boyfriend, he knew exactly what he had to say.

"I think it depends on the person," he said, raising a hand to cup the other boy's face. Ryou's eyes sparkled, reflecting the stars above them, and Malik felt the familiar swooping sensation he got in his stomach whenever he looked at him. "Some people might tire of each other after one lifetime, others won't even last that long. But some people… Yeah, for some people love lasts forever."

Ryou sighed, his breath forming a tiny cloud as it left his mouth. "Do you think… Do you think Amane still loves me?" he asked, in a small voice.

So this was what it had all been about, Malik thought, with a rush of relief.

"Today's her anniversary, isn't it?" he asked, quietly. Ryou nodded, biting his lip, and Malik pulled him into a tight hug.

"Ryou, not only am I certain that she still loves you, but I am also convinced that she is waiting for you in the afterlife and is bombarding anyone who will listen with stories about her wonderful big brother. She's probably formed a Ryou Bakura fanclub up there!"

Ryou giggled, and Malik kissed him on the nose. "You don't need to worry," he whispered into Ryou's hair. "She'll never forget you."

Ryou leaned his head into the crook of Malik's neck. "Thanks, Malik. I needed that. Oh, and just so you know," Ryou shot him a crooked smile, his eyes sparkling of their own accord now, not just reflecting the starlight. "When it comes to you and me, you're not getting a choice in the matter. This is forever, whether you believe in it or not."

Malik laughed out loud at that. "And I wouldn't have it any other way."

He pulled Ryou into a long, hungry kiss, winding his arms around Ryou's waist and smiling into his lips.

Ryou was right- they would take on the stars, the planets and the galaxies together. Because when it came down to it, Malik wouldn't want forever without him.

_This_ was what freedom felt like.

* * *

**Oh, the fluff. **

**Hope you liked it, I've got to say I loved writing it! :D**

**Bookworm**


	4. Of Smoking Saucepans and Wake Up Calls

**Eek, I haven't updated this in what feels like months. Sorry about that! *apologies profusely* Here's something to make up for it! :D And thank you so SO much for the reviews so far: Skyward Shadow, scrambled-eggs-at-midnight, gaarafangirl91 and Kazuko-99- you're all awesome! And all the people that favourited etc as well, thank you so much! ;D**

**I know this is just a short one, and it's mainly just Bakura induced chaos instead of angstshipping, but it amused me and I wanted to publish it! ^^ Plus, I can really imagine something like this happening in Ryou's house.**

**Very much inspired by something that actually happened to me this morning- what Bakura does... well, lets just say my mum did exactly the same thing!**

**Enjoy, lovely readers! :D**

* * *

Ryou woke up to the smell of burning.

Not a particularly pleasant thing to have to deal with at some ridiculous hour of the morning, but one that seemed to happen all too often.

With a groan he rolled out of bed, reluctantly pulling himself away from the warmth of the body that lay next to him.

"What…?" he heard Malik ask groggily, as he stretched and slipped on a baggy T-shirt.

"Sorry," he whispered. "Bakura's doing something stupid again. I'd better go and stop him before he burns the house down."

He leaned over and kissed the other boy briefly. Malik yawned and propped himself up sleepily.

"Come here," he murmured, and pulled on the front of Ryou's T-shirt, tugging him down onto his chest. "I want a proper kiss."

He pressed their lips together in a lingering kiss, wrapping his arms around Ryou and feeling the smaller boy smile. It was just promising to be the sort of kiss that would _really_ wake Malik up, when the distinctive smell of smoke interrupted them.

"Sorry, Malik," Ryou groaned, pulling away. "I'd really better get down there."

Malik grumbled under his breath, and sat up fully. "It's seven o'clock on a Saturday morning, what the hell is he _doing_?!"

Ryou shook his head as he stood up, smiling wearily. "I'm just hoping that it's not illegal."

"Don't get your hopes up," Malik muttered, as Ryou staggered to the window and slid open the curtains, letting the early morning sunlight filter into the room.

Ryou stuck his tongue out at his boyfriend. "He's no worse than _your _yami."

"You're forgetting one thing; Marik never gets out of bed before eleven o'clock. I never have problems with him in the morning, unlike your crazy insomniac of a darker half!"

Ryou swatted him on the head, and walked out of the room laughing.

He pattered down the stairs, and swung round the banister into the kitchen, only to find Bakura, dressed like Ryou in a T-shirt and pyjama trousers, standing over the counter swearing furiously, his back turned to Ryou. Ryou watched with dread as a steady stream of smoke wound its way into the air, and coughed slightly to alert the other boy of his presence.

Bakura spun round, a slightly guilty look on his face. "Ah. Morning, Ryou."

Ryou ignored him, instead focusing, horrified, on the lump of melted metal lying forlornly on the counter that Bakura had been hiding.

"_What_ is that?" he asked, through gritted teeth.

Bakura ran an agitated hand through his hair, making it stand up even more. He looked like he'd just rolled out of bed, with purple bags under his eyes and his hair tousled. "That is the new saucepan."

Ryou shot him an incredulous look. "No, my new saucepan was a nice, new, _saucepan shaped_ cooking utensil. _That_ is a lump of melted metal."

"Yeah… I may have done something slightly stupid."

Ryou scowled darkly. "What happened?"

Bakura hesitated. "Okay, just don't yell. Your voice goes all high-pitched when you yell and it's way too early for that."

"What. Happened?" Ryou growled.

"Well… I put some water on to boil in it yesterday evening- I was going to make some spaghetti- I filled it up, put it on the stove, turned the gas on and everything. But then Marik turned up, and we ended up watching a horror movie marathon until we fell asleep at about one in the morning on the sofa, by which time I'd completely forgotten about the saucepan… And then I wake up to the smell of burning and this-" he gestured helplessly at the counter- "had happened."

Ryou gazed in weary horror at the mess. "Bakura, do you not know what happens when you leave a saucepan full of water boiling on the stove for too long?"

Bakura shrugged, watching the other boy warily as if preparing for the high-pitched angry screams that he was sure were looming in the not-so-distant future.

"It boils dry- all the water evaporates. And then can you guess what happens?!" Ryou continued, exasperatedly.

"I'd say it starts to melt," a casual voice interrupted from behind him, and Ryou turned to see Marik leaning against the doorframe eyeing the gently smoking blob (there was really no other way to describe it) with interest. "Bakura, your knack with modern day technology never ceases to amaze me. Isn't that the seventh household appliance you've destroyed?"

"More like the fifty-fourth," Malik interjected, pushing past Marik as he made his way into the kitchen with a yawn.

Marik smirked. "Oh, I was just talking about so far this _year_."

Bakura scowled, flushing a dark red. "Well, how was I supposed to know that it would do that?!"

Marik shrugged, rooting through a cupboard. "Common sense? Hey, Ryou, where do you keep your coffee? If I'm going to be woken up by some moron melting saucepans this early in the morning, then I'm going to need coffee."

Ryou groaned mentally, and remembered mournfully the days when he hadn't had to virtually share his house with three other boys, two of which seemed hell bent on destroying it.

When the phone hadn't been constantly ringing with complaints about something his yami had done (Ryou was now on first-name terms with most of the Domino Police department).

When he hadn't had to deal with Bakura's rocky relationship with Atemu (ie. massive arguments and constant break-ups- which ended after about twenty minutes- that always seemed to happen in Ryou's front room and disturb all the neighbours).

When life had been _sane_.

But then again, life had been awfully boring back then.

And as he listened to Marik and Bakura bickering and watched Malik flash him a tired grin as he poured out some juice, he resigned himself to the fact that his life was always going to be pretty crazy and that though he'd never admit it, he wouldn't change it for the world.

(Even if it did mean having to wake up to the smell of burning once in a while.)

* * *

**Aw. Why does my humour always become fluff at the end of my stories? Hmm... that's an interesting one...**

**Yeah, my mum did exactly that- except that she melted a kettle instead of a saucepan. It was absolutely hilarious, and it just made me think of something that Bakura might do! XD!**

**Thanks for reading! :D**

**Bookworm**


	5. Stress Free

**Written in about twenty minutes, no jokes. This is the result of too much exam stress, multiple things going on in life in general, and frustration at the way another story I'm writing is going. (Or rather, how it's not going. Screw Romeo, Inspiration-wherefore art thou??!!)**

**Warning: Pointlessness. And slight slash. But mostly fluffy pointlessness! xD!**

**This for all of you out there with exams going on at the moment. Good luck, and know that I feel your pain!**

**(Oh, and the mentions of Greek and Latin are both exams I'm taking in a couple of weeks- they seemed like subjects that Ryou might take, and I know enough about them to feel comfortable with including them in a fic! ;D)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own these wonderful boys (*grumbles* Life is so unfair...) nor do I own the awesome quote at the beginning, although it does make me smile! :)**

* * *

_Stress is an ignorant state. It believes that everything is an emergency._  
_~Natalie Goldberg_

* * *

"Argh!"

Malik looked up from the TV as Ryou stormed through the door into the living room, before slamming the door behind him furiously and kicking at an armchair for good measure.

"Bad day?" Malik asked trying not to grin, and switched off the TV.

Ryou collapsed onto the sofa next to him. "How did you guess?" he grumbled, squeezing Malik's hand and leaning his forehead on his boyfriend's shoulder.

"Took a wild stab in the dark," Malik smiled, thinking how ridiculously cute Ryou was when he was annoyed at something. "So what's wrong?"

Ryou rubbed his temples wearily. "Just exams. I'm really stressed at the moment- none of my studying seems to be working! I swear, no matter how hard I try it's all just going straight out of my mind five minutes after I learn it. I don't know anything, Malik, I'm going to fail!"

Malik slipped an arm around him and kissed his hair gently. "Don't be stupid. Everyone knows you'll pass these exams with flying colours- you included. So stop worrying!"

Ryou sat up, shaking his head in frustration. "But what if I don't, Malik?" he asked, wildly. "What then? What if I fail, and then I don't have any qualifications, and no university's going to want me, and I won't be able to get a job, and I'll end up destitute on the street-"

Malik decided to end this by pressing his lips firmly against Ryou's. When they pulled apart Ryou looked slightly dazed, but at least he'd stopped the spiral of self-doubt.

"Ryou," Malik said, eyes twinkling. "None of that is going to happen. Now I want you to leave the predicting the future to my sister, and then go get dressed."

Ryou looked up at him, confused. "But I'm already dressed."

Malik rolled his eyes. "You're wearing pyjamas- it's four in the afternoon! Go and put something nice on- we're going out."

Ryou shook his head and started to get up, eyeing the door nervously. "But I've got to finish learning my set texts for Greek, and I haven't even started on Latin- the pluperfect subjunctive just won't stick in my mind-"

"You need a rest," Malik interrupted, with a tone that implied there would be no arguments or else. "You've been working far too hard. We're going to have a good time together, and tomorrow you'll be relaxed and ready to tackle more studying."

"Well…" Ryou said, hesitantly.

"It'll be good for you, Ry. Plus, I get to spend some quality time with my boyfriend! Everyone wins!"

Ryou looked at him sceptically. "By 'quality time' I assume you mean sex."

Malik winked, roguishly. "It was you that jumped to that conclusion. Honestly, Ryou, you have such a dirty mind!"

Ryou grinned and leaned in to kiss him. "Yeah. I'm the pervert in this relationship. Sure."

"I've been falsely accused," Malik moaned, flinging his hand across his face melodramatically. "My boyfriend thinks I'm a pervert- this is a tragedy!"

Ryou laughed and stood up. "Okay, okay, I'll go get ready if you stop being a moron!"

Malik jumped to his feet and wrapped his arms around Ryou's waist. "Good," he murmured, pressing their foreheads together. "Because I don't want you having a nervous breakdown on me. Who'd cook?"

Ryou smiled. "I suppose you or Bakura would have to!"

Malik shuddered. "I'd rather starve, thanks."

Ryou giggled and then brushed their lips together gently. "Thanks, Malik," he whispered. "I really appreciate this."

"No problem," Malik replied, smiling as Ryou broke away. "Happy to help."

Just as Ryou was about to leave the room Malik suddenly said casually: "Amavissem, amavisses, amavisset-"

Without even turning around Ryou automatically blurted out: "-amavissemus, amavissetis, amavissent."

Malik grinned as Ryou turned, looking completely bewildered. "I'm no expert, but I'd say that was the pluperfect subjunctive for Latin. So much for not knowing anything, you annoying little genius."

A massive smile split Ryou's face in two, and he pulled Malik in for a passionate kiss before bounding away up the stairs, happier and livelier than Malik had seen him in quite a while.

Malik smiled as he listened to Ryou clattering about upstairs, presumably getting ready for their date.

Which, if Malik had anything to do with it, would be entirely stress-free.

* * *

***sighs wistfully* Oh, if only I had a Malik to help me deal with stress... As it is, I just have you lovely people, which is just as good really! :D And that damn pluperfect subjunctive... maybe after writing this I'll actually be able to remember it! I doubt it, somehow! XD! Hope the ending made sense; basically Malik was showing Ryou that he actually did know this stuff, and was just having a bit of a self-confidence crisis. And Ryou's rant at the beginning? Pretty much exactly what I said to my mum a couple of days ago!**

**Review in the name of stress relief? **

**Hope you liked!**

**Bookworm**


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